Lincoln-Way West, Providence, Marist, Mount Carmel and Homewood-Flossmoor are picks to click for second week of regular season.
Andrew (1-0, 0-0) at Lincoln-Way West (1-0, 0-0)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday.
Matchup breakdown: Conference play begins in the Red Division of the new Southwest Valley — the merger of the SouthWest Suburban and DuPage Valley conferences.
Lincoln-Way West, which won the SouthWest Suburban Red in 2023, opened this season with an impressive 40-7 win over Eisenhower. The Warriors will look to continue to get major production out of junior running back Jahan Abubaker while leaning on a defense led by senior linebacker Josh Veldman (Northwestern).
Looking to bounce back from a disappointing 3-6 finish last season, Andrew started with a 53-6 rout of Thornwood. Junior Cam Maniatis ran for three TDs behind an offensive line led by senior Michael McDonough (Illinois).
X-factor: Zach Hermanson, Lincoln-Way West, junior, kicker.
Steve Millar’s prediction: Lincoln-Way West.
Providence’s Leo Slepski completes a pass against Hillcrest during a Class 5A second-round playoff game in Country Club Hills on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. (James C. Svehla / Daily Southtown)
Lincoln-Way Central (1-0) at Providence (0-1)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday.
Matchup breakdown: One of the quirks of the new Southwest Valley Conference is that none of the Lincoln-Way schools play each other this season. However, we do get this exciting crosstown matchup that has not been seen in many years.
Lincoln-Way Central was one of the state’s biggest surprises last season, going 9-2, and the Knights opened 2024 with quite a display of offense in a 56-40 win over St. Charles East.
Junior quarterback Drew Woodburn, son of coach Dave Woodburn, was impressive in his debut and senior running back Tyler Tulk went over 200 yards.
Providence, meanwhile, can ill afford an 0-2 start. The health status of junior quarterback Leo Slepski, who left the season-opening loss to Wheaton North with an injury, will be a huge key.
X-factor: Leo Slepski, Providence, junior, quarterback.
Steve Millar’s prediction: Providence.
Marist (1-0) at Brother Rice (1-0)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday.
Matchup breakdown: This should be an exciting version of the Battle of Pulaski.
While each team would like to rely on star running backs — Marist’s John McAuliffe (Cornell) and Brother Rice’s Tyler Lofton (Illinois State) — both have defensive fronts that could make that difficult.
With senior defensive lineman Brad Fitzgibbon (Iowa) leading the Marist defense and senior linebacker Christian Pierce anchoring an experienced Brother Rice defense, this game could come down to which inexperienced quarterback can make more plays.
Junior CJ Gray threw a pair of TD passes in the Crusaders’ 50-0 rout of Phillips. Senior Jacob Ritter impressed with four TD throws in the RedHawks’ 29-16 win over Morgan Park.
X-factor: Rico Schrieber, Marist, junior, offensive lineman.
Steve Millar’s prediction: Marist.
Mount Carmel (0-1) at St. Rita (1-0)
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. Friday.
Matchup breakdown: The Mustangs will certainly have to deal with an angry Mount Carmel team after the Caravan lost 42-38 to the Hun School from Princeton of New Jersey.
How will the Mount Carmel defense, led by senior linebacker Matthew Mucha, respond?
St. Rita, which had its 2023 season ended by Mount Carmel with a 39-10 Class 7A first-round playoff loss, would love to ride senior running back Nick Herman on its way to revenge.
Can the Mustangs’ defense, led by senior linebackers James Kingsbury and Justin Buckner, find a way to slow down Vanderbilt-bound senior quarterback Jack Elliott and the high-powered Caravan offense?
X-factor: Nico Mullen, Mount Carmel, senior, kicker.
Steve Millar’s prediction: Mount Carmel.
Homewood-Flossmoor (1-0) at Marian Catholic (1-0)
Kickoff: 12:30 p.m. Saturday.
Matchup breakdown: These longtime rivals engaged in a shootout last season, with H-F prevailing 54-47 at home.
The Vikings showed off similar offensive firepower in Week 1, crushing Bolingbrook 56-6 as senior RJ McDonald threw five TD passes, two of them to senior receiver Arthur McKnight. Senior defensive back Jayden Gilliam led the defense with six tackles.
Marian Catholic forced six turnovers in a 25-0 shutout of Rich Township. The Spartans will need more of that — plus strong play from senior quarterback Joey Baranski and junior running back Kyle Scott — to pull off the upset.
X-factor: Myles Green, Homewood-Flossmoor, senior, defensive back/receiver.
Steve Millar’s prediction: Homewood-Flossmoor.